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<br />22 <br />Ft. Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and Greeley. The comparatively low <br />percentage of tourists who died indicates that the residents had no better <br />idea of what action to take in the event of a flood than the non-residents. <br />Of the groups which did not modify their behavior during the flood <br />in response to environmental cues or to warnings, 18 groups (44 people) <br />who were driving continued to drive, and 16 groups (64 people) died in <br />buildings, predominantly homes they were in prior to the flood. <br />The largest number of people to die in one location was 15 in the <br />two motels in Waltonia. Ten people died at the Covered Wagon Cafe, and <br />seven women with the Campus Crusade for Christ died in two separate cars <br />while trying to get out of the canyon. <br />Out of 53 groups of people who died, nine groups (17 people) received <br />an unofficial warning and five groups (14 people) received an official <br />warning. It is difficult to tell how many people who lost their lives <br />that night received no warning at all. This was particularly hard to <br />assess for tourists who were not recognized by the canyon residents and may <br />only have left the general message with their families that they were going <br />camping in the mountains. Environmental cues may well have been of sub- <br />stantial influence in saving the lives of many who were in the Big Thompson <br />Canyon the night of the flood. Among the people in the sample, ten groups <br />(92 people) reported that they had to abandon their vehicles because they <br />could not continue to drive through the canyon due to rockfalls, landslides <br />and blinding rain. Others reported changing course or climbing the mountain- <br />side because of stalled cars or traffic jams. In some cases drivers did <br />try to change direction or drive up the North Fork instead of the Main Fork, <br />and only when the alternate route was blocked did they get out of their cars <br />and head for higher ground. Several groups climbed the canyon wall at the <br />last second and watched their cars go downstream. <br />